STATEMENT FROM MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ON FINAL RECOMMENDATION FROM TRAFFIC MITIGATION COMMISSION

"The plan that the Commission is recommending today meets
our goals of reducing congestion, cutting carbon emissions and providing much
needed funds to improve mass transit for millions of New Yorkers. The
Commission has done a thorough and thoughtful job. They've taken testimony
from hundreds of residents, community leaders and civic organizations.
They've held dozens of public meetings and have analyzed mountains of
data. Although the final recommendation varies from our original
proposal, I accept it. We will work with our partners in the Council and
the State Legislature, and with Governor Spitzer, to make sure that we enact a
proposal that meets our goals by March 31st. New York cannot afford to
walk away from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds and a guaranteed
revenue stream for the MTA's capital plan - which is necessary if we're going to
continue to grow and thrive - and we can't afford to do nothing about traffic
choking congestion, which is costing our City billions and polluting our
air."